Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked ‘proper toilets’

• Katie Zacharia, Trump’s new press secretary, sparked criticism after saying China lacked “proper toilets” in an Oct 15 interview with Jack Posobiec.
• Her remarks clash with Trump’s warm ties with Xi Jinping, as the White House seeks stable relations and both leaders plan more meetings.
• Zacharia also faces questions over her credentials after admitting she did not pass the California bar, while the White House calls her “uniquely qualified and whip smart”.

WASHINGTON - White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia denigrated China in an interview on Oct 15, remarks that could invite more scrutiny on the newly appointed chief spokesperson for President Donald Trump.

Zacharia, who previously lived in China, was asked in an interview on Oct 15 how she balances her personal life with her work responsibilities. That led to a lengthy response in which she said Trump’s 2016 victory put America back on the path to greatness.

“I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, ‘How is China the next country on the horizon? They don’t even have proper toilets’,” Zacharia said in an interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec.

Zacharia previously lived in China with her husband, moving to the country after graduating in 2011 from Pepperdine Law School in California and subsequently working at the Zhong Lun law firm.

The comments from the president’s top spokesman are at odds with Trump’s unusually warm embrace of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders have already hosted each other in 2026, and have pledged to meet twice more before year’s end. 

The Trump White House has sought to maintain stable ties with Beijing and on Xi’s last visit to Washington he received perks including an in-person airport greeting from Trump, a state dinner and a tour of the presidential helicopter.

The press secretary has faced scrutiny after a first press briefing in which she read haltingly from a script and took questions from only three journalists.

Zacharia is also facing questions over her legal career. Trump in announcing her appointment described her as “an attorney”, but she acknowledged on Oct 15 that she hadn’t passed the bar exam in California.

Zacharia in the Oct 15 interview said that she had consulted with “many people in the field”, who she said told her “you can call yourself a lawyer”.

She added that “I was very careful how I executed this, and I never came across as someone who was an attorney-at-law”.

The White House has defended her credentials, with communications director Steven Cheung saying “she is uniquely qualified and whip smart”. BLOOMBERG